Real Madrid Star Jude Bellingham Ventures Into Cricket, Buys Minority Stake In This Franchise
Jude Bellingham, who grew up in Stourbridge, played junior cricket for Hagley Cricket Club as a teenager and is a lifelong cricket fan.
- Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has acquired a minority stake in The Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix
- The footballer has purchased a 1.2 per cent stake, valued at around 1 million pound, in the franchise
- Bellingham, a lifelong cricket fan, has bought a 0.6 per cent stake from both Warwickshire and Knighthead
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has made an interesting venture into cricket management, with the England midfielder acquiring a minority stake in The Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix. Bellingham has purchased a 1.2 per cent stake, valued at around 1 million pound, in the franchise, which is co-owned by Warwickshire County Cricket Club and Knighthead Capital, the American investment fund. Knighthead had bought a 49 per cent stake in the franchise last year, which has now come down to 48.4 per cent following the English footballer's entry into the board.
The 22-year-old has bought a 0.6 per cent stake from both Warwickshire and Knighthead, who also own the Birmingham City Football Club, where Bellingham rose through the ranks.
After joining the team's Under-8s, Bellingham went on to become their youngest first-team player as a 16-year-old. He joined Borussia Dortmund for a reported 22.75 million pounds after a breakout debut season in the West Midlands, before joining Real Madrid for around 88 million pounds in 2023.
Bellingham, who grew up in Stourbridge, played junior cricket for Hagley Cricket Club as a teenager and is a lifelong cricket fan.Â
"I love Birmingham. I'm very grateful for what the whole city of Birmingham has done for me. I love cricket as well, so when I got the opportunity to get involved I didn't really think twice about it, so I'm so happy to be on board," Bellingham said in a statement, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"I'm so grateful to Birmingham, the Stourbridge area and the West Midlands as a whole. I got the best upbringing into football, into life through Birmingham City. I feel like I owe the city something. Right now, it's difficult with how busy I am with football, but if there's a way in which I can help then I want to and this feels like a good way."
Warwickshire said that Bellingham's investment will see him play a key role in "community engagement" and "CSR [corporate social responsibility] projects within Birmingham and the surrounding areas".
Bellingham added: "I think it's so important to get our kids in the city out there playing sports. I think it's crucial and the opportunity of me being a part of Birmingham Phoenix is to try and help people realise there's different avenues. Some people will enjoy football, some people enjoy cricket.
"I want to let kids know, let adults know that there's opportunities to go and enjoy sports. I was fortunate growing up I had the option of playing cricket and playing football, but some kids don't have that opportunity. It's important that if I can get involved in something like this to shine a light on an opportunity for kids, then even better."